The Way of All Flesh
by Sir Thopas
Summary: Impa could hear the beating of drums echoing through the Shadow Temple. The demon Bongo Bongo had clawed its way out of the pit and returned to haunt her once more. Impa raced towards the sound; she had defeated him once, she could do it again.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note - So it seems to me that Link and Zelda are being constantly being reincarnated due to each incarnation's extreme resemblance in looks, personality, role, and as inheritors to the Triforce. This seems to apply to a few other characters who remain virtually unchanged throughout the series as well (Malon, for example, who seemed almost identical to her counterparts in Oracle of Seasons, Four Swords, and Minish Cap in most ways). Impa, on the other hand, never looks the same way twice and often varies in personality, despite usually playing the same role as the princess's nurse/bodyguard. This makes me think that these Impas are unrelated to each other and merely have the same name, like Impa is the Sheikah version of the name John, really common. With that in mind, I came up with this.

**The Way of All Flesh**

_Chapter 1_

The rough stone dug into her knees as she knelt before the altar of Orpho. Impa dared to glance up at the great statue's huge black wings, the far-off sound of drumming beating in time to her heart as she beheld the god's terrible visage. From the way the pupil-less ebony eyes stared down at her she could almost swear that the statue was alive. He looked at her with such a fierce demeanor as though demanding to know why she was here before him. What made her so worthy to approach His altar? She was no Hylian; her soul was not befit to walk Hylia's golden halls. She could only throw herself before Orpho and beg for mercy.

The Hylians did not dare speak the god's name. To them, He was the _Harbinger_, the _Dark King _and the _Herald_ _of Death_. They whispered when they spoke of Him, as though the mere mention of the god would bring Him swooping down to claim their souls. He had no temples amongst the Hylians, no devotion or love. They averted their eyes when they caught a glimpse of His priests. Not even King Zagreus dared to approach the Temple of Shadows. They considered Orpho to be a demon, a fallen god who would steal the souls of young children and carry them away on His black wings. The made signs and carried good luck charms to ward off His raven-eyes.

Orpho was a dreadful god, but He was no demon. Impa ran her eyes across the statue of the Great Raven, at the skulls that adorned His torches, and the green fire that sprang up all around. He was the god of lesser creatures. The Hylians were the Goddess of Hyrule's chosen people; their souls were Her soul. They were immortal. When they died they would be reborn again in new bodies. Death held no meaning for them. Again and again, they would come back, throughout the ages. They would continue this cycle of reincarnation until Hyrule was finally destroyed; only then would Hylia bring them into Her golden hall, take their souls into Her's, and be whole once more.

For the Sheikah and the Zora and the Gorons and the Gerudo, this was not so. When they died their souls would fade away into nothing, like the foam upon the ocean. All that was left was Nothingness. Unbeing. Their only hope for salvation was in Orpho. If they were worthy He would come to them at the hour of their death and lead their souls out to the sea where the Ferry would take them across those wide, unknowing waters to that dark country, the Underworld. The priests spoke of it as a desolate land, where the sky was gray and the flowers were white. They was no hate and no love, no feeling and no thought. Just the simple peace of existing.

The drumming became louder and the High Priest stepped up to her to anoint her with the perfume of blood lilies. The Priest's white hand slipped out of his black robes and touched her forehead; she knew that soft flick of the wrist, those long fingers as they placed the heady oil upon her head. Impa bit her lip to keep from smiling. The last time she had been in Kakariko, Erudius had been a mere acolyte. Now he was the Head Priest of the Cult of Shadows. She was pleased; if anyone deserved it, it was him. She had never known a man so devoted to Orpho as Erudius. He would spend hours locked away in his study, pouring over the ancient scripture in an attempt to know its secrets.

Erudius stepped back and Impa finally stood, her young knees creaking at the effort. After a year of fighting for the glory of the King, her joints were beginning to sound like that of an old woman's. An acolyte stepped up to hand her a sickle and as she reached for it Impa looked down at the Zora general for the first time. He stared up at her defiantly from where he was bound, kneeling on the floor. After the Battle of the Seven Hills, Queen Persa had demanded that the great Zora general Delphos be executed for his crimes. Impa was not pleased with the decision, but she said nothing against it. Impa was often described as fierce and unfeeling, hiding in the King's shadow like some great cat, curled up and ready to spring. This was not true- or, at least, it was not _entirely_ true. She could feel compassion and love and all those softer, tender emotions, same as anybody else.

She just refused to allow them to interfere with her duty.

Impa approached the bowed captive, sickle in hand. She would do as the Queen demanded, but Delphos was an admirable man, deluded though as he was. She would not see his soul fade to Nothingness if she could help it. Impa raised the sickle up before the statue and commanded, "Great Orpho! May you see your child here before you and deliver his soul into your kingdom!"

The Zora spat at her feet, the action causing his already dry and cracked mouth to bleed. "Keep your gods to yourself, slave," he sneered.

Impa felt a rush of pity for the poor creature as her sickle came crashing down upon his neck.

* * *

Impa swept into the King's council chamber. She stopped before the Queen and bowed low, only rising when Queen Persa waved her hand. The Queen stalked around the wide table, heavy with maps and missives from the front. King Zagreus had left with his troops for Lake Hylia nearly a week before, leaving his Queen, nearly seven months pregnant, to command in his stead. In truth, it was just as much her war as it was his, perhaps even more so. It had always been King Zagreus's dream to see Hyrule united under one banner, but it had been Queen Persa to launch the first attack.

"Is it done?" She asked imperiously.

Impa inclined her head. "I have delivered General Delphos into the arms of Orpho."

The Queen flinched back at that. "Do not speak the name of demons in my presence," she snapped, worryingly rubbing her swollen stomach. She turned back to her maps without giving the Sheikah commander a second glance. "Regardless, I am still displeased. I had wanted to give the Zora a public execution, mount his head on a stick and wave it before the Zora army. It would have certainly been a blow to their morale." She sneered, "But my husband insisted that I leave such matters to you."

"Though we look Hylian, we Sheikah are not. It is a tie that binds us to all non-Hylians," Impa carefully explained. Queen Persa was not yet used to the ways of the Royal Family. The young Queen had not been married but for two years. Before her marriage and coronation, she had been the daughter of a local farmer. By all rights King Zagreus should not have even noticed her, but during that fateful day when all of Hyrule was celebrating the Farorisia and the coming of spring, he happened to see her face in the crowd and fell instantly in love. Some of the more hateful rumors whispered that she was a witch who had cast a love spell upon the King; of course no one would dare say such things in Impa's presence. An attack on the Royal Family was an attack on the Sheikah.

Queen Persa sighed as she ran her fingers across the pages of parchment that were strewn across the place. "The blockade around Death Mountain is holding, but I am beginning to think it is futile all the same. The Gorons are not like the rest of us. They've got rocks a-plenty to eat up there; they have no need of clothes or wood. Why would they ever need to come down? They're mocking us," she hissed. "If we can't subdue the Zora, how will we conquer the Gorons? We need to win Zora's Domain."

Impa bowed. "My Sheikah are ready to depart. You need only to give the word."

"Go, and bring me the head of the Zora Queen."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Way of All Flesh**

_Chapter 2_

Impa crouched low behind the jagged rocks, ignoring the spray of the surging river, as she watched the shadows move behind the waterfall. There were Zora guards lurking below the river's surface, but she was Sheikah, trained in the arts of stealth and deception. She had nothing to fear. It would take a better man than a common soldier to catch sight of her; besides, so long as she was on land she had the upper hand. Zora eyes were better suited under water than above it.

Carefully, she slunk away, mindful not to make even the smallest sound. She could not tell exactly how many of Queen Nefel's soldiers were stationed at the entrance of Zora's Domain, which only made her feel even more uneasy about the upcoming attack. It was true the Hylians and Sheikah had dealt a decisive blow against the Zora recently, but it was difficult to know just how many soldiers Queen Nefel had actually lost at the Battle of the Seven Hills. The Zora's aquatic nature lent them an easy escape and a means to hide themselves. The battle could have decimated Nefel's army, or it was just as likely that the number of soldiers she had lost had been critical but not as debilitating as the Hylians hoped.

It was an unknown factor and unknown factors often proved deadly.

Impa made her way back to the Sheikah encampment not far from Zora's Domain. She stood there for a moment, taking in the hundred or so tents that sat on the bluff's edge, the heavy canvas whipping in the wind. Once, she had an army that numbered in the thousands, but as the war dragged on their might dwindled. The Sheikah were Hyrule's first line of defense, a elite task force that was always on the frontline of any battle. It was their duty, their purpose, the reason behind their creation. Although, sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder if the Hylians saw them less as beloved protectors and more like canon fodder.

She quickly repressed such thoughts. Not only were they treasonous, they were also blasphemous.

Impa spotted her lieutenant, Reza, speaking with Erudius, their heads bent close together and whispering lowly. The moment he caught sight of her, however, he stepped away and bowed. "What are your orders?"

"We'll proceed as planned."

Reza threw a glance at Erudius before shifting his gaze back to his commander. "I don't think that is a wise course of action. Invading Zora's Domain would be inviting disaster. The Zora know the environment better than we do, so we won't be able to hide in the shadows. The entrance is narrow, meaning we could not overwhelm them with a full-scale frontal assault. Even if we had the numbers, the narrow cave entrance would only allow us to enter a few at a time. We are setting ourselves up to be slaughtered."

"Our King commands it," she replied. What else could she say? She knew full well that it would be a miracle if any of them survived the battle.

Reza nodded, his lips pressed together in a thin, grim line. He turned swiftly on heel, barking out orders as he began to prepare for the assault. Erudius, however, stayed put. "Yes?" Impa demanded, her voice sharp and cutting with helpless rage. She knew she shouldn't speak to a friend in such a way, but when someone knew they were likely to be dead by the end of the day made the thought of being polite too bothersome. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"If this war continues there will be nothing left of the Sheikah," he cautioned.

"What would you have me do?"

"Call off the attack, pack up your gear and march home."

"We are _Sheikah_," Impa hissed. "We cannot disobey the Royal Family."

"They are killing us," Erudius snapped back. "We are _dying_ and for what? So the Hylians can be masters of all Hyrule? We are fighting _their_ war, not _ours_."

"Hylia created us to serve. If we perish while fulfilling our duty then it is the will of the Godess. Now, please, prepare the ceremony. The battle will begin soon."

Erudius sighed and nodded, taking his leave to bless her soldiers and pray for their souls. As the drums started to beat, Impa looked out at the faces of the men and women she would lead into battle. She doubted if she would ever see them again.

* * *

Impa braced herself against her shield as she marched across the bodies of the dead Sheikah that carpeted Zora's Domain. The Zora soldiers had thrown themselves into the water the moment the Sheikah managed to breach the entrance. Since then any hope of successfully fighting the Zora in armed combat evaporated. The Zora could dive deep, obscuring themselves from view in the black, brackish water, and only rise to the surface to launch their spears. This hit-and-run tactic left the Sheikah defenseless; Impa and her soldiers were confined to the narrow ledges that ran all along the underground spring, while the Zora swam circles around them. Impa gritted her teeth as another spear hit her shield. Thank Orpho it hadn't pierced through, but it had warped and bowed the metal nontheless, making it weaker.

"Block that exit!" Impa commanded, guiding her forces towards the small stoned archway that led out to Zora's Fountain and the shrine they had built to their fish-god Jabu-Jabu. They had one chance for survival and if this plan failed then no Sheikah had any hope of ever escaping Zora's Domain alive. Her soldiers filled the archway, ensuring that no Zora would be able to crawl out of the water and push their way through. With both the entrances to Zora's Domain and Zora's Fountain blocked, the only way to escape the cave was through the underwater tunnel that led to Lake Hylia. "Pour the oil!"

Those soldiers still left alive began to unstrap the heavy jars from their packs. Impa and a few others stepped forward in front of them, raising their shields to block the Zora spears as her men prepared the oil.

The splashing immediately died away as the jars were emptied out above the spring, coating the water's surface in thick black oil. Reza tossed a torch out across the cave and Impa watched as it fell into the water. Instead of extinguishing the flame, however, the fire caught hold of the oil and within seconds the entire underground spring was a blazing inferno. She could hear the screams of the Zora - warped and warbled from beneath the water's surface - as they tried to dive deep enough to avoid the blistering heat. The cavern spring was not deep enough, however. A few Zora tried to break through the water and pull themselves onto land, only to be rammed through with Sheikah blades. The others dove for the tunnel, nearly crushing themselves as the entire population of Zora's Domain tried to push through the only exit left.

It was a trap, of course. King Zagreus was waiting for them at Lake Hylia with the entire might of the Hylian army.

Impa waited until the entire spring was covered in fire, leaving no chance of any Zora breaking the surface and escaping by land before giving the signal to retreat. What was left of her army stumbled out of Zora's Domain, choking pitifully on smoke and dragging what wounded they could and leaving the rest to burn.

Goddesses, she was tired.

If Impa thought she might be able to rest, she was sorely mistakenly, however. Erudius was waiting for her in her tent, a dark look marring his handsome, almost feminine face and making his red eyes appear fierce. "Murder blackens the soul and makes it unworthy before the grace of Orpho," he stated, in lieu of a greeting.

"The Sheikah must do as the Royal Family commands. There is no law higher than Hylia's decree, save for those of the Great Goddesses."

"So you take no responsibility for your actions?! Does this so-called immortal soul of the Hylians really demand such slavish devotion?!"

"They are Hylia's Chosen People! The Royal Family has the blood of Hylia flowing through their veins! Their souls prove this to be true!"

"And what if I told you that I knew how to gain an immortal soul?" Erudius asked. "That my years of studying have taught me sacred rites that would transform my soul into a Hylian's? That when I died, I too would be reincarnated?"

Impa looked hard at her long-time friend. Her face was a stony mask that hid her anger and horror at such words. "You will not speak such blasphemy to me again," she spoke calmly, dangerously. "And I ask that you leave my tent."

Erudius did as she commanded and Impa couldn't help but wonder how such a deeply religious man could have wandered so far off the path.


End file.
